The core rules are a stripped-down sim game for the genre; it reminds me of games written specifically for online RPGs.

There are four nods to genre conventions; PCs can't be killed, one-liners, luck, and sidekicks.

Luck has the problem that if you don't have a high luck score (and since scores are predominantly randomly generated, there's no particular reason you would), the rule does you no good; it's mainly effective in respect to sidekicks, who have a luck of six. Although, perhaps it only really needs to be there to make sidekicks effective.

The one-liners rule has two problems for me; people will use them too often, and it's not effective enough. In genre, a character usually won't use more than one per scene, but when he does, it's absolutely effective. I'd change it to use of a one-liner, one per scene, allows the PC to dictate the results of the die roll (whether his or an NPCs).

I'd change the +1 bonus to colorful/genre appropriate description.

The sidekick rule, especially when combined with the luck rule, I quite liked; PCs can't be killed is also simple and effective.

When I wrote MS'79, I worte the Luck rules basically to give Sidekicks a chance to shine every now and then, which is apparently pretty obvious.

I like the idea that the one liner could be used to allow a player more narrative input instead of a bonus...I've been playing with a similar idea in another game I'm working on, but had never thought about using it in MS '79. I'm surprised that the +1 bonus in the rules as they are now seems ineffective, though...around here, it worked quite well, and the players never really abused the whole one-liner thing. Of course, I have the luxury of a damn fine group of gamers who never delve into Munchkinland.